How I became financially independent at age 38 by investing in real estate

Shu Matsuo Post, 38, has built a real estate portfolio worth $2 million, according to documents seen by CNBC Make It.

Courtesy of Matsuo Hide Post

The concept of financial independence can mean different things to different people, but a common way to define it is to have enough money that you no longer need to rely on a job, a salary, or other people to support your lifestyle.

While the path to financial independence can be daunting, there is a tried and true method for success: live within your means and invest the money you save.

This is exactly what Matsuo Zhou Post did to gain the freedom he has today. For about seven years, the 38-year-old continued to invest more than 50% of his and his wife’s combined income into real estate investments.

Matsuo Post now has a real estate portfolio worth $2 million, including six rental properties in the United States and three in Japan, according to documents seen by CNBC Make It.

“I’m lucky enough to be able to say this, but I don’t have to work for money,” Matsuo Post told CNBC Make It. “I like making money, but I can focus on what I want to do… which Quite the opposite.”

Today, Matsuo Post lives in Japan with his wife and two children. In addition to managing investments, he also produces online educational content on real estate investing and runs his own consulting firm, Post FI, which helps foreigners purchase properties in Japan.

The beginning of your real estate investment journey

Matsuo Post’s path to financial independence has not been easy. He changed his career several times, working in industries including journalism, retail, and technology before entering real estate.

Born and raised in Japan, he moved to the United States when he was 15, ultimately staying in the U.S. for about eight years to study and start his career. After working in the United States, Matsuo Post also worked in Hong Kong for a few years before returning to Japan to settle down with his wife, Christina, seven years ago.

After getting married in 2017, Matsuo Post and his wife decided to consolidate their finances. When they started investing, they focused primarily on index funds and ETFs, but eventually decided to invest more actively rather than wait for stock market returns.

“We found real estate and kept talking about it, and then we decided to live on one income,” Matsuo Post said. They chose to live off Christina’s teaching income and saved all of Shu’s salary to buy their first home.

“For us, we were very lucky to have relatively high-paying jobs at the time, and we saved a lot of money,” Matsuo Post said. He said the couple ended up saving up before investing in their first property. over $250,000.

In 2018, Matsuo Post and his wife purchased their first property, a duplex in Minnesota, for a total of $216,500, according to documents seen by CNBC Make It. Just a year later, he purchased three more rental properties in Minnesota and New York.

Leave the corporate world

In September 2022, Matsuo Post was fired because the company closed the business unit where he worked.

“So after I was fired from the startup, I had the option of going back to the corporate world or starting something (of my own),” Matsuo Post said. Ultimately, he decided he wanted to spend more time with his family, so he chose to leave the corporate world for good.

Shortly after being fired, Post Matsuo opened his own YouTube channel, which has attracted more than 100,000 subscribers, and in 2023 started his own real estate consulting business Post FI, or “Financial Independence.”

“I will never go back,” Matsuo Post said. “Being financially independent was definitely important, but retiring and never having to work — I realized, that’s not what I wanted. I wanted to be in a job where I didn’t have to retire.”

“If it makes money, that’s great, and if it doesn’t, that’s okay because you have other forms of income to support your lifestyle,” he said.

3 secrets to achieving financial independence

When asked about his guiding principles for achieving financial independence, Post said:

Invest in yourself first. Read, attend workshops, and learn from others who have achieved similar goals to yours.
Increase your earning potential. Saving won’t make you rich, but it will make you rich, which can help you take greater risks and earn higher potential returns.
Stay frugal. Save more than 50% of your income.

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